JOPLIN Freeman Health System Heart & Vascular Institute becomes the first in Missouri to successfully use bioabsorbable polymer drug-eluting stents (DES) that promote faster healing and reduce the risk of future heart complications. The SYNERGY Stent was developed by Boston Scientific and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October. The SYNERGY Stent is the only bioabsorbable polymer stent available to patients in the United States.

Stents are small scaffolding-like mesh designed to prop open arteries cleared of blockages, said Dr. W. John Nicholas, Freeman Interventional Cardiologist. A drug-eluting stent has a polymer coating that releases a drug over time to prevent blockage from returning.

Existing DES devices effectively reduce blockages, and the polymer coating remains on the stent after the drug is delivered. However polymer coating on the new SYNERGY Stent is absorbed by the body in three months, reducing risks associated with long-term polymer exposure.

We prefer stents coated with materials that dissolve more quickly, said Nicholas. Long-term exposure to polymer can cause inflammation, which delays healing.

Delayed healing has been linked with complications, including blood clots. Like existing DES devices, the new SYNERGY Stent will be placed during cardiac catheterization. These new stents will be a treatment option for all appropriate patients. Freeman Heart & Vascular Institute will continue to stock multiple stent types to accommodate varying medical conditions.

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